Challenger Middle School

Public middle school, grades 6 to 8 · Tucson, Arizona

Challenger Middle School in Tucson, Arizona enrolled 590 students in 2024-25 with 30.2 full-time teachers, 19.5 students per teacher against the Arizona middle-school median of 18.1. It ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22; every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision (2024-25). On the state tests, 13% of its students tested were proficient in reading in 2021-22 and 5% proficient in math in 2022-23 (Arizona: 40.4% and 34%).

NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 · Title I status CCD 2021-22 · method

Enrollment fell 10% from 2022-23 to 2024-25; full-time teachers fell 3%

654 students in 2022-23, 595 students in 2023-24, 590 students in 2024-25. Full-time teachers went from 31.2 to 30.2.

Students enrolled at Challenger Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 595, 2024-25: 59002004006008002022-236542023-245952024-25590
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 595, 2024-25: 59002004006008002022-236542023-245952024-25590
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 595, 2024-25: 59002004006008002022-236542023-245952024-25590
Students enrolled at Challenger Middle School by school year2022-23: 654, 2023-24: 595, 2024-25: 59002004006008002022-236542023-245952024-25590
The numbers as a table
School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2365431.221.0
2023-2459526.022.9
2024-2559030.219.5

19.5 students per teacher, a higher ratio than 61 of every 100 Arizona middle schools

Among the 205 Arizona middle schools that reported teachers for 2024-25 the median is 18.1; the national median for middle schools is 14.6. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.

Students per teacher, Arizona middle schools, 2024-25205 values from 6.4 to 54.7; This school 19.5; state median 18.1.3 more above 30.0 →51015202530students per full-time teacherThis school 19.5state median 18.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona middle schools, 2024-25205 values from 6.4 to 54.7; This school 19.5; state median 18.1.3 more above 30.0 →51015202530students per full-time teacherThis school 19.5state median 18.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona middle schools, 2024-25205 values from 6.4 to 54.7; This school 19.5; state median 18.1.3 more above 30.0 →5152530students per full-time teacherThis school 19.5state median 18.1U.S. 14.6
Students per teacher, Arizona middle schools, 2024-25205 values from 6.4 to 54.7; This school 19.5; state median 18.1.3 more above 30.0 →5152530students per full-time teacherThis school 19.5state median 18.1U.S. 14.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; the comparison counts schools with a 2024-25 teacher count and a ratio from 3 to 99 (lower values are reporting errors).

One counselor per 360 students in 2021-22

In the 2021-22 civil rights collection Challenger Middle School enrolled 720 students and had 2.0 counselors (full-time equivalent); it reported 122 out-of-school suspensions that year.

  • Advanced Placement coursesNone
  • Gifted and talented programYes
  • Counselors (FTE)2.0, one per 360 of the 720 students enrolled in 2021-22
  • Out-of-school suspensions122
  • Chronically absent70.5% (2022-23)

Who attends

86.1% of students were Hispanic, 5.4% American Indian, 3.6% White in 2024-25.

  1. Hispanic86.1%
  2. American Indian5.4%
  3. White3.6%
  4. Black3.6%
  5. Two or more races1.0%
  6. Asian0.3%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22; chronic absenteeism from EDFacts 2022-23; every count and the counselor ratio are for that school year. Who attends: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25, membership by race and ethnicity.

State test results, 2021-22 and 2022-23

The students tested at Challenger Middle School scored proficient or above: 13% in reading in 2021-22 and 5% in math in 2022-23, against 40.4% in reading in 2021-22 and 34% in math in 2022-23 across Arizona. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Arizona, not across states. ED Data Express holds no district results after 2021-22, so the district column gives its 2021-22 figure.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22 and 2022-23
Subject and yearThis schoolIts districtArizona
Reading and language arts, 2021-2213%20%40.4%
Math, 2022-235%14% (2021-22)34%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22 and 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express (2021-22 through the Data Rescue Project archive); for 2022-23 ED published math by school and reading only by state: ED shows school and district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Middle schools in Tucson

32 public middle schools in Tucson report 2024-25 enrollment; Challenger Middle School is number 8 by size.

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunch
Lawrence W Cross Middle School82718.818.9%
Mansfeld Middle Magnet School79416.754.0%
Gallego Intermediate Fine Arts Magnet School76821.351.0%
Flowing Wells Junior High School75818.060.9%
Desert Sky Middle School74320.319.9%
Rincon Vista Middle School71220.517.9%
Orange Grove Middle School68319.88.0%
Challenger Middle School59019.571.9%

All public schools in Tucson →

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25.

What to look at next about Challenger Middle School

  1. Apollo Middle SchoolThe nearest public middle school, 2.1 miles away: 480 students, 14.5 per teacher (2024-25).2.1 mi
  2. Gallego Intermediate Fine Arts Magnet SchoolThe next nearest public middle school, 3.3 miles away: 768 students, 21.3 per teacher (2024-25).3.3 mi
  3. Compare Challenger Middle School with Apollo Middle SchoolStudents, teachers, meals, test results and who attends, side by side.
  4. How much Sunnyside Unified School District spends per student$10,153 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (U.S. $16,260), with its revenue sources and teacher pay.$10,153
  5. The largest public schools in ArizonaChallenger Middle School is the number 82 by size of 215 Arizona middle schools open in 2024-25.#82 of 215
  6. Arizona schools by students per teacher19.5 students per teacher here against the Arizona median of 18.1 for middle schools.19.5:1
  7. Find the school district for an addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (locations, enrollment, teachers); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23. Distances are straight lines between the schools' NCES coordinates, not travel routes.

Questions about Challenger Middle School

  1. How many students attend Challenger Middle School?
    590 in the 2024-25 school year, according to the NCES Common Core of Data; 654 in 2022-23. It is a middle school in Tucson, AZ.
  2. What is the student-teacher ratio at Challenger Middle School?
    19.5 students per full-time teacher (2024-25); the Arizona median for middle schools is 18.1. A ratio counts every teacher, so it is not the size of a class.
  3. Is Challenger Middle School a Title I school?
    Challenger Middle School ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, the last year NCES published school Title I status.
  4. How do students at Challenger Middle School do on state tests?
    The students tested at Challenger Middle School scored proficient or above: 13% in reading in 2021-22 and 5% in math in 2022-23, against 40.4% in reading in 2021-22 and 34% in math in 2022-23 across Arizona. Arizona's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23; ED publishes school results as ranges to protect small groups.
  5. What district is Challenger Middle School in?
    Sunnyside Unified School District, NCES district ID 0408170. The first seven digits of the school's NCES ID 040817001613 are the district's.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22 and 2022-23: reading and math proficiency for the school, its district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: NCES Common Core of Data Directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Source: Civil Rights Data Collection School-level files (AP, gifted, counselors, discipline) · 2021-22

District spending on the district page is from the NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23.

Compiled from official source data by .